so most apartments in new orleans are set up in what's called a shotgun style. in essence it's one long rectangle with rooms stacked next to each other with no rooms off to the side. My apartment is set up where i have a front room, then my living room, then my bathroom, then my bedroom, then my kitchen. So you can't get to my kitchen without first going through my bedroom. This mainly has to do with helping create circulation through the whole apartment during summer months before air-conditioning was standard. Most of these shotgun apartments have small rectangular windows above the main front door and back door that you open so that air can breeze all the way through.

While in Cincinnati, i've been staying at Matt and Erica's apartment. Their apartment set up is much different; there's a big common "square" in the middle of the apartment of which there is the living room and kitchen on opposite sides and corridors that lead to the bedrooms and bathroom (as well as the front door) on the other opposite sides.

And clearly this is too complicated for me because there have been multiple times when i've gotten myself turned around and started heading for the bathroom instead of my bedroom or i started heading for the bedroom instead of my bathroom. I've also accidentally gone through a door into Matt and Erica's bedroom (because they have two doors, one that leads into the living room and one that leads into the hallway on the bathroom side) because, well, it's a door. it should get me to where i'm going because the only other option is the wrong way?...

i feel like i need some sort of "You Are Here" map for an apartment with essentially six rooms. And that's absolutely ridiculous. or maybe i am.